"Birmingham, Alabama gave birth to momentous events that spawned the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and affected world history. But that is not why it is known as the Magic City. It earned that nickname with its meteoric rise from a cornfield valley to an industrial boomtown in the late 1800s. Images of snarling dogs and fire hoses of the 1960s define popular perception of the city, obscuring the complexity of race relations in a tumultuous time and the contributions of white citizens who quietly or boldly influenced social change. Behind the Magic Curtain peels back history's veil to reveal an intriguing cast of characters that include not only progressive members of the Jewish, Christian, and education communities, but also a racist businessman and a Ku Klux Klan member, who, in ironic twists, helped bring about justice and forward racial equality and civil rights. Woven throughout are the firsthand recollections of a reporter with the state's major newspaper. Embedded with law enforcement, he worked with local law officers and FBI agents in secret wiretapping and intelligence operations. With a deft hand, Thorne offers insights from important but little-known perspectives, painting a multihued portrait of a city that has figured so prominently in civil rights history." -- From publisher's description.